[StBernard] Federal Funding for Sugarcane Research Lab

[Westley Annis]

Dear  Friend,


	

I  wanted to share some good news with you about new federal funding  that
will soon be heading to Louisiana to support our sugarcane industry.

	

This week the U.S. Senate approved $2  million in federal funding for the
ARS Sugarcane Research Laboratory. Sugarcane is a key component of our
state's  economy, and the research conducted at this lab will help encourage
further  expansion in this key industry. 

	

The funding will  provide for the completion of construction work on a new
laboratory,  greenhouses and other facilities at the ARS Sugarcane Research
Laboratory in  Houma.

	

Louisiana  produces about 20 percent of the sugar grown in the United
States, and  sugarcane has been a vital part of Louisiana's history and way
of life for more  than 200 years.  This federal funding  will help ensure
that Louisiana remains a leader in the sugarcane industry for  years to
come.

	

These funds were included in the Agriculture  Appropriations Bill, which now
goes into a  House-Senate legislative conference before going to the
president's desk.


Sincerely,
David Vitter
U.S.  Senator